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1500 questions
29
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1 answer
I am trying to identify this bone I found on the beach at the Delaware Bay in Delaware. It is 2 1/2 inches wide and 1 1/2 tall
This bone was found at Big Stone beach on the Delaware bay, Delaware. It weighs only 19 grams
Robert Sperduto
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1 answer
Extremely rare occurence of Heart cancer?
The occurrence of Heart cancer (similar, but not the same as Rhabdomyosarcoma) is extremely rare, about 1 per year according to MayoClinic. The reason for this rarity is explained to be the post-mitotic nature of cardiac muscles. Since they stop…
stochastic13
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2 answers
What causes fingerprints to form and why is the pattern formed unique?
I've found research that suggests that the reason we develop fingerprints is because they aid us with feeling surfaces (Scheibert, et al. 2008) and not to increase friction and help with the gripping of smooth objects (Warman and Ennos 2009).
One…
Edoardo Pirovano
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1 answer
Do we know all the possible human hair colors?
I occasionally see people with blue hair and I always assume it is dyed. I wonder how justified is that assumption. Have biologists determined all the possible human hair colors? Or is it possible that if an embryo was exposed to the right amount of…
bimle
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1 answer
Are fully vaccinated people more likely to not get infected at all with COVID-19?
I've found some papers which describe that the viral shedding does not decrease during infection (for fully vaccinated people). But the overall shedding time does decrease. Therefore it is possible to say, that the vaccines could have a positive…
Mourinho_1
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29
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4 answers
What is 'protein' in food?
I know that proteins perform a lot of functions and as a result there are a lot of different types of proteins in our bodies. When I eat food that has x grams of 'protein', what is this? A homogenous mix of proteins? A heterogenous one? Is it…
Runeaway3
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28
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3 answers
Is it necessary to conduct a power analysis before beginning an experiment?
I know that power analysis is the statistically valid way to ensure you use the correct numer of samples or repeats in an experiment. But I have never seen any biologist actually conduct a power analysis. Mostly, researchers seems to use a rule of…
Rik Smith-Unna
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28
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1 answer
Killing enveloped viruses with soap
Unlike non-enveloped viruses, enveloped viruses can be killed with soap, alcohol, etc. Why?
Why does just having an envelope make it susceptible to soap and alcohol?
chinmai
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28
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6 answers
How should I ship plasmids?
I shipped 10 µL of my vector miniprep to a collaborator in a 1.5 mL eppendorf parafilmed shut and stuffed into a 50 mL conical with some paper-towel padding. However, something happened on the way and there was nothing (no liquid) in the tube when…
Nick T
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28
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4 answers
Is it possible to kill parasitic worms by intoxicating oneself?
I've heard of parasites that can live in the human body and do a lot of damage to the host. There are even safer forms of worm-like parasites inside the intestine, but some parasites can live in the blood vessels or even in the brain or…
Roybin93
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28
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3 answers
NADH vs. NADPH: Where is each one used and why that instead of the other?
I know NADH is used in cellular respiration and NADPH is used in photosynthesis. What difference does the phosphate group make that the same one isn't or can't be used for both? Is there a greater reason for this separation or is it just…
Gordon Gustafson
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28
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2 answers
Why don't chilli peppers taste as hot in space?
The following commentator writes:
Chili peppers don’t taste as hot in space as they do on Earth. Nobody knows why.
We know that the 'hot' feeling of chilli peppers is caused by Capsaicin. We read:
Capsaicin inside the pepper activates a protein…
hawkeye
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28
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3 answers
Is a walnut a nut or a drupe?
We've been learning about fruits (and the various categories thereof) in class; among them we have the nut and the drupe.
My textbook differentiates between those terms as:
Nut: It is a single-seeded indehiscent, dry fruit.
Drupe: A fleshy fruit…
paracetamol
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28
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2 answers
Where does my extra blood volume go after giving birth?
I'm pregnant. I've learnt that during my pregnancy my blood volume will increase by 50%. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/4075604/
So I'm wondering, what does my body do to decrease my blood volume after I give birth? Where does all that extra…
stanri
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28
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5 answers
What are the advantages of forgetting?
How forgetting things is helpful for the brain or the human body biologically? This web page
After some moment of being rude, selfish, or weak, either we are able to put it behind us, or the person who suffered at the result of our imperfection…
Mesentery
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